founder

Wendy Schmidt

Wendy Schmidt is President of The Schmidt Family Foundation, working to advance the wiser use of energy and natural resources. She holds a Master's degree in Journalism from The University of California at Berkeley, and graduated magna cum laude from Smith College. She is a founder of The 11th Hour Project, and of Climate Central; and also serves on the boards of The Natural Resources Defense Council, The California Academy of Sciences, the Green Products Innovation Institute, and Grist. Mrs. Schmidt is President of The Nantucket Dreamland Foundation, and supports a vital downtown to serve island residents through her work at ReMain Nantucket.

 

president

Amy Rao

Amy Rao is the President of The 11th Hour Project. She is also the founder and CEO of Integrated Archive Systems.  In addition to her roles as President and CEO of IAS, she devotes much of her time and energy to raising awareness about climate change and encouraging environmentally friendly habits in both the work place and home. Amy serves on the board of Human Rights Watch, V-Day and The Regeneration Project and serves as Regional Representative for Partners In Health.  She lives in Palo Alto with her husband and 5 children.

executive director

Joe Sciortino

Mr. Sciortino is Executive Director of The Schmidt Family Foundation and a key contact for all those working in concert with us. He oversees all facets of the foundation's programs, including The 11th Hour Project, which he led as Project Director for four years. A former Director of the eCommerce division of Williams-Sonoma, Mr. Sciortino has spent many years as a volunteer for environmental groups in the Bay Area, including leadership of a team monitoring populations of harbor seals in the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary. Mr. Sciortino is currently on the Board of The Regeneration Project and active in several organizations, including Environmental Grantmakers Association and the California Academy of Sciences. He has a M.S. in Environmental Management from The University of San Francisco and a B.S. in finance and marketing from New York University.

 

advisor

Erin Strain

Ms. Strain is Director of Business Development at Integrated Archive Systems in Palo Alto, where she oversees marketing and sales administration, operations, business development and corporate philanthropy, among other responsibilities. She serves as an Advisor for The 11th Hour Project, offering strategic insight and direction for all our partnerships and activities.   Ms. Strain is active in social and environmental causes, primarily around HIV/AIDS, conservation, and sustainability. She has an M.B.A. in International Business from The University of San Francisco and a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Business from Santa Clara University.

 

program manager

Sarah Bell

Sarah is Program Manager for The 11th Hour Project and manages all 11th Hour partnerships as well as oversees the development of our website. She is active in social and environmental causes and focuses much of her attention on the development of sustainable food systems.  She holds a B.A. in both English Literature and French from the University of Colorado. An enthusiastic supporter of permaculture and former student at the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, Sarah lives in San Francisco with her husband and son.

 

 

Program Coordinator

Lauren Davis

Lauren is the Program Coordinator for The 11th Hour Project. She has spent the past three years organizing large-scale sustainability conferences and is particularly interested in the relationship between equity and the environment. She holds a B.A. in both Global Studies and Dramatic Arts from UC Santa Barbara.